


In the Beast's Belly

by ilikeshipment



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Old!Dave, Season 3, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:01:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26898619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilikeshipment/pseuds/ilikeshipment
Summary: A probable scene for season 3: Klaus goes to a book reading. The author? None other than David Joseph Katz.
Relationships: Klaus Hargreeves/David "Dave" Katz
Comments: 4
Kudos: 58





	In the Beast's Belly

**Author's Note:**

> This started as an anonymous prompt on tumblr to write a Klave scene for season 3. I liked what I came up with a lot so I'm posting it here. Enjoy!

Klaus paced outside of the bookstore. He stopped to peak into the windows, using his hands to shield around his eyes to get a better look. He could only make out the vague image of rows of bookshelves. He sighed. He saw the ad for today’s event in the local paper and made the impulsive decision to go. Not that his siblings would even notice his absence. Why would they start now? Although, now that he was here, he inwardly wished Ben were still around to nag him and talk him out of it.

With a forceful sigh, he pushed open the door. Right in front of him stood a temporary floor sign. “Live Reading! _In the Beast’s Belly_ By David Katz,” it read. Klaus gulped at the words. Maybe it wasn’t his Dave? Really, there could be hundreds of Dave Katz in the world. He was sure the book title was a coincidence. But he had to see for himself.

It had already started and he followed the steady voice to the back corner where chairs had been set up. The voice was old, but familiar. The chairs were mostly filled in, so Klaus took a seat in the very back, not wanting to disrupt the reader. When the man saw Klaus sit down, he visibly startled, but then put his nose back in the book and continued reading.

“…but perhaps my outlook on the world really changed on February 21st, 1969. Our camp was ambushed and, as someone on the front line, I had to put my nose in the dirt. In the dirt of hill 689 to be exact.” He paused to look directly at Klaus, a slight grin spread across his lips. Klaus gasped at the sight of him. He could barely believe it, but this was his Dave. Same sparkling blue eyes, same charming smile. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he listened.

“A week before I enlisted, I was approached by a man who claimed to be a psychic.” Klaus’ breath hitched. He was talking about him. “He claimed he knew me in another life, in another timeline where we fought together in the war. He told me I would die on that hill. And, in a way, he was right.”

He paused to look at Klaus again, more directly. Klaus could only blink at him from his seat now too far away. “The horrors I experienced on that hill changed me forever. It changed the way I viewed the world around me. The injustices I was a part of, that I chose to be a part of and meekly accepted when I should’ve questioned. I didn’t survive that hill, I simply escaped it, leaving an old part of me there. I left the army as soon as my tour was over and moved to New York to join the Civil Rights Movement. I continue to fight to correct the wrongs I grew up believing were a normal part of our world.”

There was generous applause as he closed the book. The crowd stuck around to ask questions. Dave answered all of them courteously and with patience, but it was clear his mind was elsewhere. When the crowd finally started to clear out, Klaus found himself standing and walking towards him. It was like he wasn’t in control of his own legs, and then suddenly he was right before him.

They stared at each other for a moment. The laughter lines were settled deeply in Dave’s face. His posture was a little slumped but he seemed well. Especially since Klaus estimated him to be about 80 at this point.

“Hi,” Dave said with a smile.

Klaus shuddered. “Hi,” he responded. There was a long pause. “It seems, uh, it seems I was wrong.”

Dave laughed. “Were you not listening?”

Klaus sighed into a laugh. “No, I was. But I was still wrong, and thank God for that.” He laughed again.

“Yeah,” Dave sighed. He studied Klaus’ face with a smile. If he didn’t believe Klaus was a psychic time traveler before, he definitely does now. His face was the same as the day he told him not to enlist. “You know, I was hoping you would show up,” he told him.

Klaus raised his eyebrows as if to ask, “What?”

“To the base. I was hoping you would show up and fight with me, like you said you did before.”

Klaus nodded, a little pained. “I’m surprised I didn’t, but you know, we did fuck up the timeline substantially.”

“We?”

“My family and I,” Klaus clarified and Dave made an “aha” face. “Yeah, we messed a lot of things up, but clearly some good came out of it,” he gestured to Dave’s presence.

“Yeah, definitely,” Dave agreed. There was another pause and then Dave got serious for a moment. He moved a half step closer to Klaus and lowered his voice a bit. “I just want you to know that I came out. And I found someone to grow old with, his name was Adam.”

Klaus faltered a little bit at this, but quickly recovered. “Adam?”

Dave smiled at his name. “Yes, he was a fighter. We were happy, and I have you to thank. You gave me that courage.”

Klaus couldn’t help the tears welling in his eyes. Miraculously, none fell as he replied, “Well, you’re welcome for that.”

Dave looked at him a little coyly. “But, you know, I never forgot that face of yours.”

Klaus laughed. As he looked down at his feet, he was sure a tear fell. He took in a shuddering breath.

He was suddenly overcome with a million swirling thoughts. It hit him just then that there was a timeline or universe or other world, whatever you want to call it, that Dave lived. He grew old and happy and in love. He had a career and spirit and support. He made a change and a name for himself. It was a world where he didn’t need Klaus.

Klaus’ face journey as he thought these things were obvious to Dave. “Klaus? Is something wrong?” He asked.

Klaus just slightly shook his head side to side. He audibly gulped before saying, “Nothing, just, uh.” His eyes shifted to the books on the table next to them. He quickly picked one up and opened to the title page. “Could I get an autograph?” He asked with a sad laugh. Dave laughed as well and obliged.

_“To Klaus: Keep fighting. You never know when you’ll meet your own hill. Love, Dave.”_

Klaus held the book up to his heart. _Love, Dave._ He thanked him before starting to back away.

“I’ll see you around, Klaus.”

Klaus nodded and then let his legs lead him out of the bookstore. He took in a huge gulp of air as soon as he was outside and let it out in a shuddering sob. His heart was pounding in his chest. He was unsure of what to make of this experience. He didn’t know what to do or where to go, he just knew he needed someplace to sit.

_Love, Dave._

He found a park bench and plopped down. He let the tears flow as he pulled out the dog-tags that were sitting on his chest under his shirt. He stared at the name. The weight of the metal was as heavy as the book on his lap. He cried and cried, wondering if this was his hill.

**Author's Note:**

> My tua tumblr: @theseance1968
> 
> And for those of you wondering, chapter 17 of tlbac is in the beta stage. Thanks for being patient with me <3


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